The Summer Olympics may be well underway in Paris, but the real games — Squid Game that is — are heading our way this winter. In a surprise drop teaser for the second season of writer-director-producer Hwang Dong-hyuk satirical Netflix K-Drama, the streaming giant confirmed that the Lee Jung-jae starring death-match gameshow series will return on Boxing Day this year, 26 December. But whilst the return of the global phenomenon after three long years off our screens is incredibly exciting, the new release date announcement also brought with it the bittersweet news that though a third season of the show has been greenlit and confirmed to land on Netflix in 2025, it will also be the Hunger Games-meets-Takeshi's Castle style saga's final chapter. Check out the teaser below:
It may only be 56 seconds long, but with an Olympic-aping starting blocks open, those all-too-familiar green tracksuits coming tumbling down, and the Front Man's loyal masked men ominously stating "It's been three years. Do you want to play again?", this date announcement is all we need to start up the hype machine once more. Yeah, we're thinking Squid Game's back! And although the Season 3 2025 confirmation is tinged with sadness by the news it'll also be the show's final rodeo, the knowledge that creator Dong-hyuk is going out on his own terms bodes well for a satisfying finale ahead to the all the fun and games (and, er, death...)
Here’s the official Season 2 synopsis as shared in Squid Game’s post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: “Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 remains determined to find the people behind the game and put an end to their vicious sport. Using this fortune to fund his search, Gi-hun starts with the most obvious of places: look for the man in a sharp suit playing ddakji in the subway. But when his efforts finally yield results, the path toward taking down the organization proves to be deadlier than he imagined: to end the game, he needs to re-enter it.” Check out the full X post about the series’ return and renewal below:
Also among those gearing up for some Squid Game action in S2 are Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-jun, and Gong Yoo, who return to the fray alongside newcomers Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Lee Jin-uk, Park Sung-hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-sim, Lee David, Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae-won, Jo Yu-ri, and Won Ji-an. We'll find out what the latest Squid Game has in store when Season 2 lands on Netflix on 26 December. And if you crave more dystopian shenanigans from the Squidiverse (as nobody's calling it) then fear not, as actual reality show Squid Game: The Challenge will also be back for a second season soon and is currently casting. Bagsy not playing the Glass Bridge game!